


Never Thought I'd Miss You

by Lush_Specimen



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Adventure, Crushes, Daring rescue, Light Angst, M/M, rainbow alien space cats, slight minimegs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-13 04:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17481053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lush_Specimen/pseuds/Lush_Specimen
Summary: With several new crew members added from their recent rendezvous with the Vis Vitale, including the greatest autobot of all time, Thunderclash, the Lost Light is finally back on the quest of the knights of Cybertron. At least they were, until they intercepted a distress signal from a remote mining colony. Never one to pass up a distraction, Rodimus gathers the Rod Squad to assist.He begrudgingly lets the newly healed Thunderclash join the mission. Mining rescues could be dangerous. At least if anything happens to Thunderclash, Rodimus wouldn't miss him at all... Right?





	1. Chapter 1

“Okay! Okay! Everybody, gather round and listen up!” Rodimus corralled his rowdy away team, consisting of the usual suspects, Skids, Nautica, Brainstorm, and most of the Rod Squad. To his infinite dismay, his newest recruit, the one and only Thunderclash, had insisted on joining as soon as he found out Rodimus was leading this mission. When they stepped off the Rod Pod, he had told Thunders to “shut up and keep up.” From that point onward, Rodimus had gained himself a silent multicolor shadow. Irritating, but at least easy to ignore. 

Once he had everyone’s attention, he activated his comm link and called the Lost Light, “Alright, Megs! Give us the situation.” 

“WHAT?!” roared an exasperated reply over the shared open channel. “I just finished explaining everything!” 

“Whatever,” Rodimus shrugged, oblivious that his body language didn’t translate over the audio channels, “Start again from the beginning. I wasn’t listening before.” 

“You? Weren’t? Listening?!” Megatron sputtered. 

“Sir,” Ultra Magnus’ steadfast voice chimed in to soothe Megatron’s growl into a ragged sigh. 

“You’re right, Minimus, I must keep moving forward.” After a brief moment of silence to compose himself, Megatron continued, “As I said before-” 

“When no one was listening.” 

“Yes, Rodimus, when no one was listening,” Megatron sighed again. “We received a distress signal from the surface of the planet, very near where your team landed. A group of Leonine miners are trapped in an unstable cavern. We’ve already made contact with their surface crew. If you continue on your current heading, you’ll meet them shortly. You’ll need to choose a team with the fastest, most agile alt modes to enter the mine and quickly evacuate the trapped miners before the shaft collapses.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you. Say that again.” 

“WHAT?!” 

“Kidding, kidding,” Rodimus snickered. “We all heard. Get in, get out, save the day. Lucky for all involved speed is my specialty. I got this, no problem! Wham, bam, in the van!” 

“I can’t believe you,” Megatron grumbled. 

“Oh, you better believe it-” Rodimus replied before being cut off mid-retort by a high-pitched squeal accompanied by giggling. 

“Now what!?” Ultra Magnus exclaimed. 

“If you two are so interested in everything, you should have just flown down in the Rod Pod with us instead of staying behind to interrogate me from the Lost Light,” Rodimus said. He almost added a comment about Megatron being right at home in a mining colony, but thought better of it. Megatron had been especially touchy since they received the original distress call. 

“That doesn’t explain-” 

“The noise, if you must know, was Skids and Nautica. They met the first members of the mining surface crew and I gotta agree, they are totes adorbs. I mean really, have you ever seen a Leonine in person? #kawaii!” 

“What does that even-” Megatron began. 

Rodimus heard the distinctive crackle of Ultra Magnus placing a large hand over the microphone and whispering advice to Megatron. He couldn’t help but eavesdrop since Mags’ whisper is still louder than most bots’ normal speaking voice. 

“Sir, I find it easiest to just let him go in these situations. He obviously knows what he’s talking about and it doesn’t seem dangerous. Just agree with him and move on or we’ll never get anywhere.” 

Rodimus bit his lip in a failed attempt to stifle a growing grin as he could practically hear Megs slowly nod over the radio. Success! He managed to confuse them both at once! 

“Right,” Megatron cautiously began. “I’m... I am sure they are exactly as you described. Find Captain Sterling. She’s the one that sent the distress signal.” 

“You got it! We’ll keep you posted.” Rodimus signed off as the miners ran over to greet his team. They resembled massive stocky felines with comically large paws, swishing tufted tails, and expressive glittering eyes. Nautica and Skids dropped to their knees and were excitedly fawning over two Leonines. Dust covered their brightly colored fur but they bounced with joy now that help had finally arrived. 

“You must be the aid that the Lost Light promised us.” An exceptionally fuzzy Leonine strode towards them on four enormous paws. She wore a chartreuse safety vest over her speckled gray and lavender coat with a matching hard hat. The hat didn’t immediately endear her to Rodimus but when she took it off, he nearly burst into laughter. He had no idea how she tucked such huge triangular ears under that helmet. She offered Rodimus her front paw in greeting, “Thank y’all for coming. I am Captain Sterling.” 

As he knelt down to accept her greeting, her deep violet eyes widened in surprise. Rodimus smiled, thinking she was impressed by his stunning good looks. He reached out for her paw but she brushed right past him to the large bot that had been quietly following him all day, the omnipresent shadow that he’d done his best to ignore. 

“Is that Thunderclash?” Sterling asked in hushed reverence, awe filling her voice. 

“Um… yes?” Thunderclash answered, meeting Rodimus’ withering glare with a sheepish grin. 

“Well! Put bells on my whiskers and call me a pixie! Everything will be alright now!” Sterling gushed. “My gram, Tinder, told me all sorts of tales about you! Especially about the time you saved her ship from pirates.” 

Rodimus buried his face in his hands and groaned. Of course, the super-cute miner cats knew Thunderclash. Everybody knows Thunderclash. Stupid good-natured Thunderclash. He would be so much easier to hate if he wasn’t so genuinely nice all the time. 

“Sterling! Tinder’s grand-kit! Sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier but I haven’t seen you since you were about this big,” Thunderclash held his hands a tiny distance apart to mime her size. “I hope Tinder told you the part when she saved my life as well. That dire wrath would have torn me to pieces if your gram hadn't shown up.” Thunderclash smiled as he scooped Sterling up in a friendly hug. “But that’s a tale for after we get all your people to safety.” 

“Darn good tale it is too! But right you are. So, what is your plan?” 

“Actually,” Thunderclash straightened up and rubbed the back of his helm, “you should talk to my captain. He’ll know just what to do. I trust him completely, and you should too.” 

Rodimus felt a gentle hand on his back, guiding him towards Sterling. He ground his teeth. Who does Thunderclash think he is? 

“Sterling, I would like you to meet my captain, Rodimus,” Thunderclash offered the introductions. “He is the most exceptional captain that I have ever had the pleasure to serve under. He is fiercely loyal to his crew, finds wildly creative solutions to problems, and never, ever gives up. Tinder would just love him!” 

Rodimus opened his mouth to protest. Fortunately, his brain overrode his natural tendency to argue because everything Thunderclash said was overwhelmingly positive. Whenever anyone else, including Optimus, introduced him to someone, there was always a “but”. “This is Rodimus, he’s loyal BUT can be a bit selfish.” “He has potential BUT doesn’t maintain focus.” “He could be a great leader BUT makes reckless decisions.” A myriad of different phrases echoed through his head, and Thunderclash didn’t use any of them. He looked up at the colorful bot towering over him, searching his face for any sign of sarcasm, but Thunderclash only offered a glowing smile. Rodimus wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse. 

“Right,” Rodimus coughed. “Nice to meet you Sterling, captain to captain. Thunders is right. There will be time for tales once we get everyone to safety. How many are still trapped in the mine?” 

“Well, let me see,” Sterling muttered a few names and counted on fearsome claws that extended from her enormous padded toes. “There’s only seven miners still down below. Most got out themselves, but that lot is stuck on the far side of the unstable shaft. We just struck a right impressive vein of purple star sapphire. Should’ve taken the engineers more seriously and shored up the ceiling better, but excitement got the best of us. Once everyone is safely above ground, we can return with the proper equipment and set this mine right.” 

“Okay, so we only need room for seven,” Rodimus nodded. “Are they all of a similar size?” 

“That’s a peculiar question, ain’t it?” Sterling tilted her head to one side. “Most of us are about the same size as me, give or take a little.” 

“I guess it might seem strange to you, but my people can vary in size greatly,” Rodimus grinned, gesturing over his shoulder to various members of his crew. One cobalt Leonine carried Tailgate around on her back under the watchful eye of Cyclonus while Thunderclash already had no less than three perched on his broad shoulders. 

“Huh!” Sterling nodded. “Y’all really are something, that’s for sure!” 

“Yo, Brainstorm!” Rodimus yelled. “You got anything to make this rescue even easier?” 

“Maybe!” the teal and white jet finished taking a picture of a magenta Leonine that was posing with Chromedome and Rewind. “I whipped this little marvel up on the way down here, with mine safety applications specifically in mind.” He presented a device the size of Rodimus’ palm with one large button on the end, wings bouncing with excitement. “It’s an individual handheld teleporter! It could possibly move two people, if you were touching someone else enough for it to think you were just one. How much direct electric current can most organics tolerate anyways?” 

“Not much,” Rodimus winced. “Like, at all.” 

“Oh!” Brainstorm slowly hid the device behind his back. “Maybe this isn’t the best solution then.” 

“Yeah, maybe save that for another time,” Rodimus agreed. “We’ll do this the old fashioned, with our own wheels. Skids, Velocity, Chromedome, you’re with me! Try to keep up!” 

“Isn’t Thunderclash going?” Sterling asked, tail twitching. 

“No,” Rodimus looked over to where the Leonines now swarmed Thunderclash, who giggled as they climbed all over him. “He isn’t really best suited for this mission.” Rodimus shook his head. It was difficult to reconcile Thunderclash’s reputation as a flawless war commander with the multi-colored idiot currently frolicking with a pile rainbow space cats. 

“But, he’s a real hero,” Sterling protested, enormous ears flattened against her head. “I would feel better if he led.” 

Rodimus pinched the bridge of his nose and swallowed a growl. “Fine!” he snapped. “Thunders, get over here.” 

“Who? Me?” Thunderclash leapt to his feet. The Leonines rolled off his back with a chorus of startled chirps. 

“Yeah, you.” Rodimus folded his arms and muttered, “You're the hero.” He bit his tongue before he added ‘not me.’ “Just take the team and go.” 

“Aye, aye, captain!” Thunderclash saluted and flashed that lopsided dopey grin that might have made Rodimus laugh if he wasn’t so irritated. He transformed and revved his engine as the others Rodimus had selected followed suit. 

Rodimus leaned back on the entrance frame of the mine shaft, watching as his team sped off down the long corridor. Thunderclash’s distinct motor rumble matched the rhythm of his own engine in a way that made him smile before he realized it. He sighed and stared up at the gathering storm clouds overhead. He should have taken a moment to cool down before just sending off his crew like that. There was that impulsiveness that Optimus would have warned against. 

After a few moments, he felt a strange vibration that originated deep inside the mountain. He glanced over at Sterling, and the hairs rose along her spine, from her head all the way down to her tail. 

“Did you feel something just now?” he asked. 

“Fraid so,” Sterling replied. She dug her retractable talons into the rock at the mine entrance as if trying to decipher the movements of the mountain itself. “The stone is shifting.” She squinted her eyes and peered into the darkness, still as a statue, except for the very tip of her tail which twitched lightly in the dust. 

Rodimus looked around at the rest of their teams, who were oblivious to whatever disturbance both he and Sterling felt. They traded stories, posed for pictures, or in Rewind’s case, took the opportunity to learn some new swear words. Whirl was giving helicopter rides, which he insisted he did because he wanted to and definitely not because an adorable jade green Leonine with only three paws had politely asked. Despite the cheerful atmosphere, feeling of cold dread slowly crept into his spark, and he moved closer to Sterling. Perhaps because they were both captains, they shared some innate intuition that their crews were in danger. 

Every second dragged on like one of Ultra Magnus’ lectures on the significance of semicolons. Rodimus couldn’t shake the anxiety that something went terribly wrong. He knew Sterling felt it too. The initial relief that washed over him at the first distant sound of engines racing up the tunnels quickly dissipated when he realized that he didn’t feel anything. He placed a hand over his chest but still nothing. In his massive alt mode, Thunderclash’s engine always resonated pleasantly with his own. Even if he usually found it annoying, it still felt good. Pushing his worries aside, he lied to himself that everything was fine. 

When only three sets of headlights shone into view, Rodimus’ spark flickered with fear, guilt, and self-loathing all rolled into one. Something had gone wrong. He knew he should have led this mission, but his ego got the best of him, again. He wasn’t sure what happened to Thunderclash just yet, but he knew that it involved some stupidly heroic self-sacrifice. 

First out of the tunnel came Chromedome with two passengers, then Velocity with two more, and finally Skids with the last three Leonines. That totaled seven rescued miners, at least one thing went right. The rest of both crews froze. The absence of a commanding presence like Thunderclash swept through the ranks like the icy breeze beginning to whip around the mountain. What should have been a happy reunion for a successful rescue took on a lugubrious atmosphere. 

“Skids?” Rodimus asked tentatively as the blue sports car transformed back into bot mode. “What happened?” 

His normally carefree golden optics dimmed with grief, Skids just sighed and turned away. Before Rodimus could press the issue, one of the rescued miners, with a handsome dappled red and orange coat, broke out into wailing sobs. 

“It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry, Cap! I thought I could do it, but it all went sideways. Thunderclash saved me. The real Thunderclash! He was so amazing! And so big! And beautiful! Just like in your gram’s tales. The best hero the universe ever did see.” 

Despite the dismal circumstances, Rodimus still found the strength to roll his optics. 

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” The poor creature hiccupped through his tears. Although the terrible news stunned everyone else into inaction, Sterling was unphased. She strode over to her distressed crew member and pressed her furry forehead against his. 

“Hey now, take it easy, Ember,” She began quietly. “Sometimes a situation spirals out of control. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be upset. But we are family, and we will get through this together.” 

Rodimus watched as Sterling’s gesture comforted Ember, slightly jealous that he didn’t have a captain like her when he stood watching Nyon burn. He knew thinking about his own issues at a time like this was selfish, which of course made him feel guilty. At least these complicated emotions distracted him from how he felt about sending Thunderclash to his apparent doom. 

“It is my fault though, Cap,” Ember heaved a deep ragged sigh. He drew strength from Sterling’s touch and produced a huge shimmering purple stone from his vest. 

“Hoppin’ Heavens!” Sterling exclaimed. “I’ve never seen such an impressive purple sapphire in all my years! It looks flawless too! That beauty could power an entire starship on its own!” 

“I know,” Ember sadly shook his head, a small cloud of dust lifting off his bright fur. “It was in a dangerous spot, but I thought I could get it without the ceiling collapsing. Everyone else had already evacuated, but I kept digging until I had it. Then everything started to fall. I curled up around the stone, waiting to get crushed, but Thunderclash dove to the rescue. He protected me. You should have seen it, Cap. He braced the entire ceiling with his shoulders and actually stopped the mountain from coming down! But that means he’s trapped...” 

Rodimus noticed a familiar emotion pass through Sterling’s eyes. First admiration and then disappointment. She hid it well, but he had gotten that same undisclosed look from Optimus Prime enough times to recognize it instantly. He was relieved that Ultra Magnus stayed behind on the Lost Light. The last thing he needed right now was to be on the receiving end of that look from him, or worse, from Megatron. Even if he did deserve it. 

“Oh, son,” she sighed. “Everything will be okay.” 

Ember nodded silently and pulled away from Sterling. He turned his glittering golden eyes towards Rodimus. 

“Rodimus?” he asked tentatively. 

“Yeah,” Rodimus nodded, narrowing his optics. “How did you know?” 

“Thunderclash said that I was just like you, the color of dancing flames, bright, beautiful, and braver than anyone knows. He told me to find you, and gave me a message for you. It’s my mission.” 

Rodimus felt his face flush. He never was any good at controlling his emotions. Which is why he was in this predicament in the first place. 

Ember sat expectantly at Rodimus’ feet, gazing up at him, gold eyes flecked with bright orange like flickering fire. Rodimus looked around, not sure what to do so he knelt down. As soon as he lowered himself down, Ember reached up, placed his massive paws on his shoulders and pressed his furry forehead against Rodimus’ helm, just like Sterling had done to him. Rodimus nervously squirmed, uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of an obvious gesture of reassuring affection from an alien that he had just met. 

“Thunderclash told me to tell you,” Ember drew a deep shuddering breath, steadying himself before continuing. “He told me to tell you that you burn with the radiant light of hope, a worthy captain of a fine crew. He said that he’s sorry that he won’t be there to see what wonderful things you accomplish. And finally, most of all, he said that he will always love you.” 

“WHAT???” Rodimus leapt to his feet as flames raced up his spoiler, melting the light snow flurries that had begun to fall. “Oh. No. He does not get to define our relationship with his last words.” 

“Woooow,” Ember whispered in quiet appreciation, the initial fear in his eyes turning into admiration when an incandescent Rodimus stalked towards the mine. “He really is as amazing as Thunderclash said.” 

Rodimus shivered as he felt slender claws trail along his still illuminated frame. Whirl’s sinuous neck curled around his shoulder, his single golden optic arched with amusement, “Did someone say ‘relationship’?” 

“What?! No. NO! Definitely NOT!” Rodimus twisted out of his grip. 

“OoooOOOooo! That means YES!” Whirl sang as he capered away on his spindly legs, the jade Leonine draped over his right wing purring with delight. “Tell Thunderclash I was always rooting for him!” 

“Whatever,” Rodimus grumped. “BRAINSTORM!” Rodimus held out an open hand with no further explanation. Brainstorm tossed him the palm sized teleportation device, he caught it and tucked it away without even looking. 

“What are you going to do?” Ember asked eagerly, tail sweeping back and forth. 

“I’m gonna go get your hero, kid,” Rodimus grinned, reaching down and ruffling the thick fur between his ears. “I’ll be right back!” Rodimus shouted to his crew. “Nobody tell Mags or Megs! Co-Captain’s Orders!” 

“But there’s nothing you can do,” Sterling shook her head, whiskers drooping. “No one is fast enough to out run a collapsing mine shaft. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible.” 

“Pfft!” Rodimus waved off her concern. He started revving his engine before he fully transformed so by the time his t-cog finished spinning he hit the ground in an impressive burnout, screeching tires throwing a spray of debris and an impressive plume of white smoke as he sped away. “Impossible? I don’t even know the meaning of that word!” 

“Is that true?” Ember pleaded. 

Racing down the tunnel, Rodimus laughed out loud when he heard Nautica’s reply echoing after him, “I believe it. His vocabulary is actually quite poor.”


	2. Hug Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rodimus races through the collapsing mine to collect Thunderclash relying on Brainstorm's untested teleportation invention as their only means of escape.

Rodimus raced down the mine shaft, effortlessly drifting around the tight curves and dodging fallen rock. The roar of his engine firing at full throttle reverberated down the tunnel. As he rapidly shifted gears and threw himself around a particularly flamboyant chicane, he whooped with excitement. He loved pushing himself to the ragged edge, tires skimming the gravel surface at the very limits of traction. 

He completed a perfect powerslide through a 90° bend into a long straightaway. Headlights illuminating the arrow straight tunnel with no obvious obstacles sent a shiver of joy through his frame. 

“Aw yeah!” He yelled, gunning his engine. He felt his rev limiter approach the red line and kept accelerating. Rodimus raced faster and faster, all cares beyond the next turn totally forgotten. Nearing the end of the straightaway, the tunnel curved sharply to the left. Downshifting ahead of the blind corner, Rodimus relished the squeal of his tires, barely clinging to control on the brink of disaster. 

Rounding the bend, he yelped in surprise as a tremor rolled through the mine, knocking huge chunks of the walls loose. Massive rocks crashed down and he whipped around each of them as they tumbled past. One large piece nearly blocked the entire tunnel. Without decelerating, Rodimus transformed, planted his hands on the ground right front of the rock and executed a perfect front hand spring allowing his forward momentum to carry him through the narrow gap. Whirling his t-cog once more, he hit the ground wheels spinning, not so much as a scuff on his metal-flake paintwork. 

Finally, a light shone in the darkness ahead, a subtle turquoise glow softening the brightness. Rodimus’ engine purred as he recognized Thunderclash’s signature lighting color mod. He slammed on his brakes so hard that he almost spun out. Why did he know that? And why did it make him so happy? Whatever. Quickly recovering he sped on, focusing solely on driving the final leg of his journey and resolving to deal with these confusing realizations later. 

When he skidded around the last bend, the narrow shaft opened up into an expansive rough-hewn chamber. His headlights hit a vein of sparkling violet, similar to the stone that Ember produced from his vest and sent a spectrum of tiny rainbows dancing across the room. In the far corner, like a very statuesque and colorful pillar, stood Thunderclash, desperately propping up the crumbing ceiling with his broad shoulders. The prismatic light reflected off his armor, adding another whole layer to his already over-the-top color scheme. 

“Fancy meeting you here,” Rodimus grinned as he transformed and sauntered over to his trapped crew member. 

“Rodimus?!” Thunderclash looked up, his voice a mix of overwhelming joy and pure terror. “What are you doing here? It’s dangerous!” 

“Came to get you, obvs,” Rodimus shrugged. 

“What about Ember? And Puffin? And Ruby? And-” 

“All fine,” Rodimus cut him off with a wave of his hand. Somehow in the few brief moments they spent together, Thunderclash apparently learned the names of and probably formed deep personal bonds with all the rescued Leonines. Rodimus sighed, folded his arms and shifted all his weight onto one leg so he could tap his foot. “But what about you? Who saves Thunderclash?” 

“Me?” Thunderclash asked, face scrunched in confusion and joints starting to shake under the intense pressure of the collapsing mountain. 

“Yeah, you.” 

“As long as everyone else is safe, it doesn’t matter,” Thunderclash shrugged. He winched as the movement in his shoulders set a cascade of small rocks rolling down his back. “I’ve been dying for so long, no one would even miss me,” he added quietly with a sad smile. Rodimus’ spark twisted in his chest as he stared at him in shock. 

“I would,” Rodimus stated with such absolute certainty that he even surprised himself. 

“You would?” Thunderclash brightened, magenta optics sparkling with such vibrancy that he put the sapphires to shame. 

“Yeah, I didn’t realize it until about two seconds ago, but I kinda like having you around,” Rodimus smiled. Saying it out loud made him feel more comfortable with the idea that maybe he did appreciate Thunderclash’s guileless good nature and amiable support. After all, it wasn’t Thunderclash’s fault he was so nice. Nobody’s perfect. “Now. About that message you gave to Ember for me...” 

“OH!!!” Thunderclash’s optics widened and his face lit up bright pink. “I guess he remembered to tell you-” 

“Oh, he told me alright,” Rodimus raised a brow ridge. “Loud and clear-” 

Before Rodimus could pursue the issue, another violent quake rocked the mine. Rubble rained down around them and more pieces of the ceiling gave way. A metallic shriek echoed through the chamber as the increased weight caused Thunderclash’s right leg to buckle in a spray of energon, dropping him to one knee. 

“You’ve got to get out of here! NOW!” Thunderclash yelled, shutting his optics against the pain, both from his blown hydraulics and from telling Rodimus to leave. He fought an increasingly futile battle to hold up the entire mountain by himself. “Please! Just go!” He pleaded. “I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt. If I know you are okay, then it doesn’t matter what happens to me. I- I can’t-” 

“Stow the typical self-sacrificing-heroic-autobot rustwash,” Rodimus groaned. “I didn’t come all the way down here to leave without you. I asked you earlier, ‘who saves Thunderclash?' Well, the answer is ME! We are getting out of this stupidness together!” 

“To-Together?” Thunderclash stammered, optics shining despite the obvious strain taxing his systems by the hopeless task of holding back the inevitable collapse. 

“You heard me,” Rodimus slid Brainstorm’s teleportation device into his palm and threw himself at Thunderclash, wrapping his arms around his neck. “Now, HUG ME!” 

“WHAT?!!” Thunderclash sputtered and blushed so fiercely his entire frame glowed. 

“I mean it! Hold me as tightly as you can!” Rodimus hooked his legs around Thunderclash’s waist and cinched himself as close to the big bot as he could, nestling snugly against his massive frame. Thunderclash shivered and his engine misfired. “Don’t you dare pass out either!” 

Thunderclash squeaked and reached one arm tentatively around Rodimus’ back, his touch feather-light, keeping the other supporting the ceiling. 

“OH! COME ON!” Rodimus yelled in exasperation. Apparently lacking any self of self-preservation, Thunderclash still put Rodimus’ safety over his own, trying to shield him from the bulk of the falling rubble. Rodimus decided to change tactics and appeal to his protective nature, “Hug me like MY life depends on it! Because it totally does! If I’m going to save you, I need you to save me!” 

That did the trick. Thunderclash stopped trying to hold back the avalanche and curled entirely around Rodimus. He wrapped him up in both arms and pulled him tightly to him chest, using his back to brace against the crashing rocks. Rodimus tucked his face against Thunderclash’s neck and whispered, “Primus, if you’re listening, please let this work.” 

When he hit the button on Brainstorm’s teleporter, the entire area blazed with a blinding light so white it was almost blue. Then a crackling electric current arced through the two of them, sending lightning bolts twisting around the cavern and burning every circuit in his body. The last thing Rodimus remembered before the world faded to black, was hearing Thunderclash’s scream echo his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading!!
> 
> I appreciate your kudos and love reading your comments! They always make my day!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at: lush-specimen.tumblr.com/


	3. Partners?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brainstorm's teleporter works in an unexpected manner.

Rodimus woke up slowly, something important nagging at the back of his processor. He curled up, comfortable and warm. Whatever it was could wait. He hadn’t felt this safe since he was a sparkling. Even then, it was more of sensation than an actual memory. He remembered not even having a form but being in pain. Then someone gently cradled his spark and in that split-second he felt safe, protected, and incredibly happy. He only ever told two people about it. Optimus Prime had said it was impossible. No one could have a memory from before they were completely forged. Drift, on the other hand, was convinced it was some type of spiritual experience and told him to meditate on it. Rodimus chuckled to himself. Meditate? Yeah, right. 

Rolling over, Rodimus sighed with contentment. He felt the off-kilter purr of a large engine resonate pleasantly with his own. He smiled. It reminded him of Thunderclash... THUNDERCLASH! The day’s events came flooding back to Rodimus and all his systems snapped instantly online. He quickly realized that he was snuggled up with something big and colorful. Rodimus groaned. Thunderclash had no right to be this comfortable. He nestled back into Thunderclash’s embrace. Just a few more minutes, then he would totally get up, for sure. 

“Damn it, Brainstorm,” He muttered when a gust of icy wind blasted him in the face. While they were definitely out of the collapsing mine, a quick glance around revealed that they had been teleported to the summit of the mountain. As much as he hated to move, they needed to get back before Tailgate panicked and spilled the beans to Mags and Megs. 

“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Rodimus gently rapped on Thunderclash’s winged autobrand with the back of his knuckles. “I know you’re alive. Come on, up you get.” 

When Thunderclash didn’t immediately respond, a cold stab of fear lanced through Rodimus’ spark. What if the teleporter damaged Thunderclash’s patchwork spark? What if he lost too much energon from his injuries? What if he hadn’t held him tight enough to the device to work properly? 

“Hey!” he called louder, struggling to keep his growing anxiety out of his voice. “Don’t you dare make me deal with this alone! I don’t even know where we are. Come on! Get up! Get up!” 

This time Thunderclash’s optics flickered, their dim crimson light glowing through the falling snow. 

“R- Rodimus?” he stammered through a voice filled with static. 

“Yeah?” Rodimus vented a sigh of immense relief. 

“Are we dead?” 

“What!? NO!” Rodimus laughed. “Why would we be dead?” 

“Well,” Thunderclash blinked a few times, systems slowly powering back up. “We were trapped in an impossible situation, there was excruciating pain, followed by a blinding light. Then I wake up in your arms.” That dopey lopsided grin spread across his face. 

“I am certainly not going to argue with your image of heaven,” Rodimus grinned. “After all, it wouldn’t be paradise without me! But I assure you, we are still very much alive.” 

“Oh...” Thunderclash sighed sleepily. “OH! OH MY!!” his optics flared when he realized that he still cuddled Rodimus gently to his chest. He released him and sat bolt upright. “OH MY GOODNESS! I’m so sorry! I just- I mean-” 

“Relax,” Rodimus snickered as he rolled off Thunderclash into a snow drift. “We had to get close for the teleporter to work. Besides, it wasn’t the worst experience in my life.” 

“It wasn’t?” Thunderclash brightened. 

“No. Although my life has been all kinds of terrible so the bar is set pretty high.” 

“That’s what makes you so inspiring.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Not to bring up bad memories, but-” Thunderclash hesitated. He focused intently on his own cobalt hands and continued quietly. “What happened to Nyon is public knowledge.” 

Rodimus sighed. Nyon. He really didn’t want to deal with this right now. They needed to get off of this mountain, not dredge up ancient history. He hated being congratulated for ‘being able to make the tough call.’ Destroy his own home or let Sentinel use it as a power source for his war machine? What other choice could he have made? 

“It’s what I meant when I told Ember that you are so bright and so brave. I can never truly understand the incredible pain that you carry with you, but in spite of it you still face each day with a true zeal for life. Every radiant smile is a testimony to your incredible resilience. Every time you stop to help someone in need shows your unimaginable strength. Whenever I came online after another spark-related blackout, I would always think of you. If you could move forward while bearing such a terrible burden, then the very least I could do was get back up.” 

That was unexpected. Rodimus furrowed his brow and searched Thunderclash’s face for any trace of insincerity. Whenever someone wanted to talk about Nyon, it was usually to extol his toughness, to focus on the destruction. Good soldier Rodimus burned his home to ashes for the war effort. Thunderclash saw something completely different, something much closer to the truth. He understood the unique courage it took to survive. 

“Yeah, well, most of those virtues just come from me being stubborn as a rusty bolt.” Rodimus shrugged, hoping Thunderclash didn’t notice the color rising to his cheeks. 

“I don’t care where it comes from,” Thunderclash smiled. “It’s amazing and I love it!” 

“Thunders. Clash. You are ridiculous,” Rodimus shook his head. “And that’s coming from a bot who once painted himself space-color to gain an edge in a hide and seek contest.” 

“Did you win?” Thunderclash asked brightly with genuine interest. 

“It got complicated,” Rodimus grinned, strangely satisfied that Thunderclash wanted to know about one his stupid stunts, especially given the circumstances. “I’ll tell you what. You’ll get the whole story once we get off this mountain.” 

“I can’t wait! Let’s get moving!” Thunderclash beamed. He tried to get up but collapsed in a heap when his damaged leg couldn’t support his considerable weight. 

Rodimus frowned at the growing patch of pink snow around Thunderclash’s mangled right leg. Leaking that much energon shouldn’t cause a serious problem for a bot his size, but the freezing temperatures definitely increased the risk factor. Nobody wants ice in their fuel lines. It would be just his luck to save Thunderclash from getting crushed, only to let him freeze to death. 

“Maybe you should go ahead without me,” Thunderclash winced as he inspected his own injuries. 

“Don’t start that again,” Rodimus rolled his optics. “As much as I appreciate you always putting others in front of yourself, it can get rather tiresome. I can’t believe I’m saying this to the greatest autobot of all time, but we gotta work on your sense of self-worth. I told you, we are in this together. You might be too big for me to carry alone, but we can just call for a ride.” 

Before opening his comm link, Rodimus whispered, “Primus, buddy, you really came through for me last time. How about double or nothing?” 

“This is your co-captain! Anyone got their ears on?” Rodimus shouted over the howling wind into the open channel. 

The comm link crackled to life, “Rodimus, is that you?” 

“Rung! Buddy! I knew I could count on you!” Rodimus thumped Thunderclash on the shoulder in his excitement, giggling when Thunderclash lit up bright pink as a result. 

“Is... everything okay?” Rung asked carefully with a large dose tact. 

“Of course, I rescued the big dope, if that's what you mean. As if there was ever any doubt!” Rodimus bragged. “Unfortunately, ol’ Thunders hurt himself, so we’ll need a lift.” 

“Oh! Thank Primus!” Rung exclaimed. “I’m so glad the teleporter worked!” 

“Speaking of which, is Brainstorm around?” 

“Yes. He’s in the middle of his ‘successful invention dance’.” 

“As much as I hate to interrupt that, could you put him on?” Rodimus waited until he heard the distinctive sound of someone tapping into the comm link before shouting, “Brainstorm! What the hell?!” 

“Hmm...” Brainstorm mused. “I think you mispronounced ‘Thank you from the bottom of my spark for your wonderful invention that worked perfectly and saved the day’.” 

“Don’t give me that!” Rodimus grumbled. “Your teleporter sent us to the summit of the mountain! Brainstorm! It’s like a blizzard up here!” 

“Precisely! It worked exactly how I told you it would!” 

“You never mentioned anything about mountain tops!” 

“Please!” Brainstorm scoffed. “It was all part of the extremely detailed explanation that I gave when I first showed you the device. Like I told you before, it works like a diver’s rescue buoy, by following the path of least resistance. Since there isn’t time to enter precise coordinates when a mine is collapsing, the only direction that you can be certain will eventually lead out from underground is straight up!” 

Rodimus racked his brain and vaguely remembered Brainstorm going on excitedly about something a while ago. He could picture Brainstorm gesturing wildly, but all he heard were the lyrics to his favorite song, _“You got the touch! You got the power! YEAH!”_ If fact he was starting to hear them again as his attention waned, _“When all hell’s breaking loose you’ll be right in the eye of the storm.”_

“Whatever,” he muttered, trying to focus. “That’s crazy.” 

“That’s science!” Brainstorm exclaimed. 

“Let’s just agree to disagree.” 

“But-” 

“Round up Cyclonus and Whirl, grab a couple of tow cables and fly up here to get us,” Rodimus cut him off. 

“Roger Dodger!” 

“Oh, and Brainstorm, one more thing.” 

“What?” 

“Thank you.” Rodimus’ unexpected gratitude stunned Brainstorm into silence. For all of his swaggering bravado, Rodimus knew Brainstorm secretly craved approval, which he found highly relatable. 

“You’re welcome,” Brainstorm finally squeaked. He coughed to regain his composure, “We’ll be right there.” 

“And that,” Rodimus whirled around in a flamboyant bow, as he ended the call, “Is how you handle that! I used to like to work alone but it is so much easier when you have people that you can count on-” He stopped short, joy bleeding out of his frame, when he noticed Thunderclash deep in thought. 

“Rodimus,” he began without meeting his optics, “There’s something that I need to tell you.” 

Rodimus’ spoiler sagged. Great. Here is comes. Just when he thought they made some type of connection, Thunderclash is upset with him. He crossed his arms and turned away. Why did he always manage to let down anyone he cared about? And when did he start caring about Thunderclash? 

“What?” Rodimus grumbled, already bracing himself for a lecture. He knew Thunderclash wasn’t the best suited for a high-speed rescue. He never should have sent him down there. Looking at Thunderclash’s injured leg sent a shiver down Rodimus’ back struts. It was his fault that he got hurt and without Brainstorm’s device it could have been so much worse. 

“Thank you! Thank you so much for coming back for me!” Thunderclash looked up and met his optics with an earnest smile so genuine that Rodimus practically melted. “You’re my hero!” 

“But- but I-” Rodimus stammered. He hadn’t once been right about what Thunderclash was going to say all day. How did the big bot keep managing to surprise him? Maybe it would be worthwhile to get to know him better. “But I should be apologizing to you! I almost got you killed!” 

“Did _you_ drop the mountain on me?” Thunderclash asked. 

“What?! No! Of course not!” 

“Then it’s not your fault.” 

“But I sent you down there.” 

“I agreed to go,” Thunderclash shrugged nonchalantly, like almost dying was no big deal. Rodimus shuddered. Maybe for him, it wasn’t. “Helping people can be dangerous, but it’s a risk that I’m always willing to take. I know you understand since you risked your life to save mine.” 

Rodimus just stood there mouth agape, taking a rare moment to think before he responded. He a stock supply of glib retorts designed to hide any sincere emotions, brush off the issue at hand, and simply move forward, but none of his usual comebacks felt appropriate. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to be honest with the big lug. Really honest, like he only was with Drift. He knew he could trust Drift with his real self, not the charismatic veneer he wore like armor in front of everyone else. Maybe Thunderclash could handle it too. 

“What the hell, here goes nothing,” Rodimus muttered as he flopped down in the snow next to his colorful companion. “Look,” Rodimus sighed, absent-mindedly doodling in the fresh powder. “I hadn’t intended for you to be in the mine shaft. I was supposed to go myself, but Sterling wanted you. That made me, I don’t know, angry or jealous or something. I shouldn’t have got so hacked off and changed plans like that. No offense, but I’m way faster than you.” 

“None taken,” Thunderclash laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “But, I’m considerably bigger and stronger than you. If the ceiling did collapse when you were in there, you wouldn’t have been able to stop it by yourself.” 

Rodimus hadn’t considered that possibility. “Maybe we should do the next mission together.” 

“Together!” Thunderclash lit up. “Like partners?” 

“Well, someone needs save you from yourself,” Rodimus laughed. “The way I figure it, you are good at the few things that I’m not and I’m the best at everything else. I think we could work well together.” 

“I would love the chance to find out!” Thunderclash gushed. “It was really great to have someone looking out for me today. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.” 

“It’s nice that someone finally appreciates my greatness,” Rodimus grinned. This conversation went better than he expected. He still wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about Thunderclash but he was going to enjoy figuring it out. 

“One more thing-” Thunderclash hesitated, hugging his arms around himself. “I don't want to worry you,” Thunderclash bit his lip and made a conscious effort to stop shivering, “but I’m getting really c-cold.” 

“Lucky for you, you've got me!” Rodimus let a fraction of the fire that he always felt in his spark race to the surface of his armor. For a brief moment he was wreathed in flames, vermillion paintwork shimmering in his blazing light. When he was satisfied his exterior temperature hovered around “toasty” but before it got to “sizzling” he let go of his fire and nestled himself close to Thunderclash’s side. 

“That was amazing!” Thunderclash exclaimed, slight pink coloring his cheeks. “YOU are amazing!” 

“I know I am!” Rodimus preened. Although he often extolled his own virtues to anyone who would listen, for the first time it didn’t feel like hollow bravado. Rodimus smiled. He always knew if he kept telling everyone else how great he was, one day he might believe it himself. 

“May I?” Thunderclash asked tentatively before putting his arms around Rodimus. 

“Sure!” 

Thunderclash gathered Rodimus into his massive arms. 

“Eek!” Rodimus yelped as he brushed against Thunderclash’s frosted armor. “You ARE freezing! You gotta tell me when something’s wrong before you just drop over.” In an effort to thaw Thunderclash before he froze to death, Rodimus stoked his flames a little higher. 

“S-Sorry. I’m used to always being on m-my own. D-don't want to t-trouble anyone,” Thunderclash stuttered through chattering teeth. “P-Primus! You are so w-warm!” He held him gently, reveling in the heat of his fire. “This feels so good!” 

“Yeah it does,” Rodimus sighed contentedly, relaxing into his embrace. “See how nice it is to work together.” 

“Yeah,” Thunderclash nuzzled his helm. “Let’s work together all the time.” 

“Why the hell not?” Rodimus laughed. “Some one’s got to keep an eye on you anyway.” 

“Thank you.” 

The sound of jet engines and the choppy cadence of helicopter rotors grew louder as their rescuers approached. 

“Besides,” Rodimus added quietly, “If you aren’t around, I would totally miss you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter marks the end of the main story, but I have alot of little character details that didn't really fit. I pulled them all out and am stringing them together into a bonus chapter, the like scenes after the credits of a Marvel movie. There's some slight Minimegs and the backstory of how Thunderclash met Tinder. And of course more sweet Rodiclash. Stay tuned!


	4. Bonus Chapter: When Thunders Met Tinder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being rescued from the mountain, Thunderclash needs a few repairs and Rodimus needs to check in with the Lost Light. To pass the time, the Rod Squad and the Leonine mining crew want to hear the story how Thunderclash first met Tinder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that escalated quickly! I planned for a few small additional scenes but it just kept growing. I went from post credits scene to special edition bluray level of content.
> 
> The dire wraith info comes from the short series Rom vs Transformers: Shining Armor. If you've never read it, I recommend checking it out. It's got some great Ultra Magnus lore, Starscream being Starscream, and Astrotrain, who's one of my personal random faves. Also the art is amazing!
> 
> Content Note: There is a bit of violence in the backstory. Nothing even as bad as the comics so I didn't change the rating.

The trip down the mountain went fairly well except Whirl almost dropped his tow cable three times. Rodimus had to cling tightly to Thunderclash to keep from falling off, which pleased Whirl to no end. 

Once they returned to their crew, the Leonines broke into a chorus of musical yowling. Sterling excitedly informed Thunderclash that she had a surprise for him and that they couldn’t possibly leave until it arrived. Lotty and Nautica went to pick up some spare parts to repair Thunderclash from the Rod Pod while Rodimus stepped aside to call the Lost Light and inform Megatron and Ultra Magnus of the day’s events. Although he had ordered the rest of his crew not to tell them what was going on, Rodimus wanted them to hear it from him instead of reading about the near disaster in the Lost Light Insider. 

“Megs! Mags! It’s your favorite co-captain calling to check in!” 

“Rodimus!” Megatron exclaimed. “It’s been a while. Is everything ok?” 

“You know me!” 

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Megatron groaned. 

“Relax! Everything is fine. We rescued all the trapped miners. Things went more or less according to plan until an earthquake dropped a billion tons of rock on the rescue party.” The comm link crackled with static, almost like someone dropped the receiver. Rodimus shrugged it off and continued. “Thunderclash got trapped under the collapsing ceiling, but I saved the day, naturally. I guess Brainstorm deserves some credit for inventing the teleporter, but I’m the one that used it so-” Rodimus paused. He expected Megatron to give him a hard time about laying on the self-congratulatory hero stuff so thick and already had a bunch of comebacks lined up to antagonize him even further. “Megs? Are you still there? Is everything ok?” 

“NO!” Ultra Magnus hissed. “Everything is NOT okay. It is the opposite of okay! You need to get back up here NOW!” 

“Easy, Mags!” A loud cheer went up from where he left Thunderclash with the Leonines. Sterling’s surprise must have arrived. As eager as he was to find out what was going on, he needed to deal with this first. “What’s the problem?” 

“The problem,” Ultra Magnus whispered, “Is that Megatron collapsed when you mentioned the mine cave in. He’s on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. Rodimus, he’s trembling. I can’t deal with this. Ultra Magnus does not deal with emotional displays.” 

So that’s why Megs has been so touchy. He must have some terrible memories of mining accidents. Rodimus could relate. Millions of years of war still couldn’t compare to the old scars of burning Nyon to the ground. Whenever he has nightmares, they’re not of the countless fire fights, life-threatening injuries or painful betrayals that he’s endured. It’s always Nyon, every time. Something really bad must have happened to Megs down under Messatine. 

“Mags, I can’t get up there right now, but good news! You can totally handle this! Ultra Magnus is super effective at protecting the crew and Megatron is a member of the crew. You can do this!” 

“Rodimus-” 

“It’ll be super easy! Trust me!” 

“I’m not sure-” 

“Just do exactly what I tell you. Ready? Place your hand on Megatron’s shoulder. Got it?” 

“Yes,” came the tentative reply. 

“And that’s it! Done! You can tell him ‘it’s okay’ if you want, but you don’t have to. Just apply gentle yet firm pressure to let him know that he’s not alone.” 

“It’s okay, sir.” Rodimus heard Mags actually comforting Megatron. 

“I- I can’t- I’m so sorry-” Megatron muttered. 

Ultra Magnus hummed a gentle melody. “You are not in a mine. You are safe on the Lost Light with... With me.” 

“Th- Thank you Minimus. I apologize for my behavior.” Megatron’s voice rasped with static. “I- I just- I'll be okay.” 

“Thank you, Rodimus.” Ultra Magnus sighed with immense relief. “I’ll take it from here. Just be careful and get home as soon as you can.” 

“No prob, Mags! We'll be back in a little while. You two take it easy.” Rodimus hoped his concern transferred across the airwaves and signed off. He hurried back to the rest of the crew, curiosity killing him. 

Rodimus rounded the bend to see the mixed crew of Leonines and Lost Lighters gathered around a roaring fire. Thunderclash waved excitedly as soon as he saw him. An extremely large Leonine with fur the deep indigo of a winter night, shot through with strands of silver was draped over Thunderclash’s shoulders. A leather band shining with decorative pink jewels covered one eye. When Rodimus drew nearer he could hear her bantering with Whirl. 

“The name’s Tinder! Always pleased to meet a fellow cyclops!” She cackled. “How’d you lose your eye?” 

“It’s a rather long story that began with a broken watch and eventually led to a death, destruction, and civil war!” Whirl spun his rotors in amusement. “What about you?” 

“I lost mine saving Truckles here from a dire wraith.” 

“TRUCKLES?!” Rodimus exclaimed. “She calls you Truckles? Oh, Primus! I am totally stealing that!” 

“Let me guess,” Tinder rounded on Rodimus with a wide feline grin that showed the tips of her fangs. “You must be Rodimus! Truckles! You never told me he was drop dead gorgeous!” She elbowed a fiercely blushing Thunderclash. 

“You might say that I’m-” Rodimus paused for dramatic effect and mimed finger guns. “The cat’s meow!” 

“Bury me in the bone orchard! You’re fantastic!” Tinder laughed. “I’m so glad that Sterling called me when you went to rescue my good buddy here. Thanks for looking after him, he is quite hopeless. It’s so nice to finally meet you. He’s been carrying a torch for you forever. I’ve heard so much about you over the years that I feel like I already know you.” 

“Oh?” Rodimus flopped down next to Thunderclash. “Do tell! No seriously, tell me everything! I love hearing about how great I am!” 

“Where should I start?” Tinder’s whiskers curled forward, her tail mischievously brushing against Thunderclash’s shoulder cannons. “Your courage, charm, resilience, bravery, creativity, loyalty? Maybe the story about the time you broke into an enemy stronghold to rescue a captured comrade? Or when you carried the Matrix, which I understand is a high falutin’ honor for you folks.” 

Rodimus grinned. If Thunderclash blushed any brighter he might spontaneously combust. Somehow whenever anyone extolled Thunderclash’s virtues, they choose words like noble, heroic, magnificent and totally forgot to include adorable and absurdly sentimental. He was starting to think the people that told those stories didn’t know Thunderclash at all. 

“Come on, Gram! You promised to tell us the dire wraith story when Rodimus finished his phone call.” Sterling chimed in. “I never got to hear you two tell it together.” 

“Is this how you two met?” Rodimus leaned on Thunderclash’s side. He was genuinely curious to hear a story about Thunderclash from someone outside of the hero-worshiping Cybertronian circuit. “Does it include the origin of ‘Truckles’?” 

“It does!” Tinder howled. “But that part’s not exciting. I mean what else should I have called a truck that pulled up and started talking to me in the middle of a gunfight. I never met a Cybertronian before him.” 

“Just get to the story!” Ember looked at Tinder reclining across Thunderclash’s broad shoulders then turned his gold eyes to Rodimus. Deciding that Rodimus’ shoulders weren’t quite large enough, he stretched himself across his lap. He was so fuzzy. It took all of Rodimus’ willpower to refrain from burying his hands in his thick fiery colored fur. 

“Okay! Okay!” Thunderclash laughed. “Many years ago-” 

“Don’t start like that! You make me sound old!” Tinder cut him off with a flick of her tail. “Try again!” 

Thunderclash tapped his chin, pondering a new beginning for a few moments. His optics lit up. “How about this? It seems like only yesterday-” 

“Much better!” Tinder purred.  
_____________________________________________________________________  
_  
“Paddox, look!” Thunderclash crouched down to examine something close to the ground._

_“It is a cactus?” Paddox groaned. “Because we’ve seen a lot of cacti today, and they’re all creepy and gross. Little spines sticking out all over the place.” He shuddered._

_“But this one has flowers on it!”_

_“So what?”_

_“So, it’s beautiful!” He delicately examined the sharp pink petals before moving on. Thunderclash brushed past a scrubby tree and the branched whipped back, striking Paddox on the nose._

_“AHHH! It touched me!” He screamed and jumped back so fast that he fell over right next to the cactus. “Gross! Gross! Gross! That’s it! I can’t take anymore! We are going back to the ship!”_

_“But the scanners said there’s energon over there.” Thunderclash quickly pointed in the opposite direction, biting his lip to stifle a smile. “I still feel pretty good and I don’t need to be back on the Vis Vitale for another two hours.”_

_“Well, I’m going back and you’re coming with me.” Paddox folded his arms. “I am not getting blamed for losing you again.”_

_“You didn’t lose me. I am perfectly capable of losing myself, thank you very much,” Thunderclash grinned. “This time will be different, I swear. I have my GPS, my comm link, and we’re only about a mile from the ship. I can cover that distance in like two minutes in my alt mode. Our scans didn’t even detect any other life signs in the area. Go ahead back. I want to stay out for just a little longer. It’s nice to get a chance to explore and we could use more energon.”_

_“Okay, fine!” Paddox relented. “But if you’re not back in an hour, then I’m sending Proxima to get you.”_

_“Oh Primus! She takes no prisoners! I’ll be back in an hour. Promise!”_

_Satisfied, Paddox transformed and hightailed it back to the ship as fast as his wheels could carry him. Thunderclash continued to wander among the local flora when he heard the distinct pop of distant gunfire. He followed the direction of the sound through a small forest of short evergreen shrubs. Passing through the trees, he came to the rim of a vast canyon._

_“Wow!” He stared in awe at the brilliantly hued striations in the rock when the sharp staccato of automatic weapons fire broke the silence. He leaned over the edge of the canyon, straining to see where the disturbance was coming from. Suddenly the delicate sandstone cracked under his substantial weight and he tumbled down the steep rock wall._  
___________________________________________________ 

“So, let me get this straight. After just five minutes on your own, you race towards the sound of gunfire, fall off a cliff and get hopelessly lost?” The jade Leonine sprawled across Whirl’s cockpit interrupted. 

Thunderclash pondered her questions for a moment. “Yes. Yes. And Yes. Oh! And I forgot to mention that the rock formations in the canyon interfered with my comm system, so I couldn’t contact the ship.” 

“Trip is right.” Whirl ruffled the fur of his three-legged companion with his claws. “You’re not making yourself sound very heroic.” 

“I’m not trying to sound heroic. I’m trying to tell you how I met Tinder.” Thunderclash scrunched his face in puzzlement. Rodimus snickered. He was kinda cute when he was totally confused. 

“Yeah, but all everyone ever talks about is how heroic you are, and right now, I’m not impressed.” 

“I never set out to impress anyone.” Thunderclash shrugged. “I just want to help people. I figured gunfire meant someone might be in trouble.” Rodimus considered Thunderclash’s response. It was far simpler than most of the stories implied. 

“Don’t let those rascals distract you!” Tinder playfully cuffed Thunderclash’s shoulder. “The story’s about to get good cause this is where I come in! I’ll take over for now!”  
__________________________________________________  
_  
“Everyone take cover!” Tinder yelled as another burst of gunfire rained down on her crew. A light purple Leonine cowered in the dust, covering his head with his paws. Darting along in a serpentine path, Tinder grabbed his tail with her teeth and yanked him behind a rocky ridge. “That means you, Peri!”_

_“Cap! I’ve sorta been shot!” Sunny cried from behind a nearby boulder._

_“It’s not really a ‘sorta’ situtation, Sunny! Yes or no?”_

_“Then yes! But it’s not bad. Grazed my shoulder.”_

_“Stay right where you are!” Tinder waited for a lull in the action then gripped the petrified Peri by his scruff and barreled towards her wounded comrade. Skidding behind the pockmarked boulder just in time, she shook her head and growled. “I thought there were no other life signs in the area!”_

_“There weren’t.” Sunny hissed as Tinder hastily applied a first aid patch right over the wound directly to her brilliant yellow fur. “Aww! That’s never gonna come off!”_

_“Deal with it!” Tinder snarled, bearing her fangs and raising all the hairs along her spine. “It’s gotta be those thrice damned pirates! I though we saw the last of them when we shot them down before we landed here.” She berated herself for not adding small arms to her standard exploration supplies._

_“Guess we only pissed them off!” Sunny grinned._

_“I’ll piss them off once and for all when I get back to the ship! I swear with my paw on my pulse that this will be their last day above ground! First, they try to steal our hard-gotten goods, then they have the audacity to come back after I run them off. And now, the worst offense of all, those lousy sidewinders have hurt my friend.”_

_“Sounds like they’re reloading.” Sunny peeked around the boulder to the far canyon wall. “Hey, Peri?” She gently prodded her frozen companion. “Are you okay? This isn’t our first rodeo, ya know.”_

_“I know! That's why I usually stay on the ship!” He snapped. “If you actually enjoy this, then you’re crazier than I thought!”_

_“How crazy did you this I was?”_

_“Crazy enough to eat the devil with the horns on!”_

_“Don’t get you whiskers in a twist” Sunny cackled._

_“If you two are done squawkin’ Now’s our chance! Climb on to my back and don’t let go!”_

_“This is a bad idea,” Sunny muttered, but she did as Tinder asked._

_As soon as she gripped her captain’s deep blue fur with her claws, Tinder grabbed Peri again and bolted for the nearest pile of rocks. They had to start working their way towards the safety and weaponry of her ship. Bullets struck the ground behind her paws, kicking up clouds of dust on impact. Although dragging Peri was awkward and Sunny’s weight slowed her down, she couldn’t leave her friends behind. If they were going to die, it would be together._

_The terrifying realization that they wouldn’t reach the safety of the next boulder in time hit her like a shot through the heart when a massive truck pulled along side her, perfectly matching her pace and opened its doors._

_“Get in!”_

_“Who said that?” Tinder’s silver eyes widened, searching the empty cab, voice muffled with a mouthful of Peri’s fur._

_“I did! Hurry up!”_

_“Who’s driving the truck?”_

_“I AM the truck! Ow!” A burst of machine gun fire peppered Thunderclash’s side. “Come on! Ow! Those bullets. Ow! Can't pierce my armor. Ow! But they really sting! Ow ow ow!”_

_“How do I know I can trust you?”_

_“I don’t know! Ow! I’m just trying to help!”_

_“Fair enough!” She grinned and tossed Sunny and Peri into his cab. “Well, Truckles, not to impose but, you mind giving us a lift back to our ship?”_

_“Truckles?!” Thunderclash laughed as he pulled away amidst the continuing gunfire. “The name is Thunderclash. Just tell me where to go.”_

_“Pleased to meet ya,” she purred. “I’m Tinder by the way! The ornery ball of yellow fluff is Sunny and that’s Peri curled up under your seat. You really saved our skins back there, so thanks. Head north, then west.”_

_“Um... Which way is that?”_

_“To the right!” She pointed out his windshield. “Turn right, then go around that huge funny shaped rock on the left.”_

_“I thought all trucks were good at directions.” Sunny piped up._

_“Shush! That’s racist!” Tinder hissed. “Can’t take you anywhere! Being rude to the nice truck!”_

_“It’s okay,” Thunderclash chuckled as he rumbled along. “What’s going on here anyway?”_

_“My crew and I are Leonine prospectors. Dealing with thieving scoundrels is just part of the business. I have the minerals rights for all the planets in this quadrant, before you ask. We already have a good cargo of gold, star sapphires, and some strange pink crystals that I’ve never seen before.”_

_“Pink Crystals? It might be energon. My crew and I need it to refine for fuel. We came to this planet because we detected a good quantity near here.”_

_“I’ll give you the whole lot and show you where to find more as thanks for saving our lives!”_

_“No, no. You don’t need to thank me. You needed help and I just happened to be in the area. Anyone else would have done the same thing. Besides, my crew will pay you a fair price for whatever energon you have.”_

_“Don’t you mean, YOU will pay us? You’ll need fuel too, right?”_

_“Probably not for much longer.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_

_“Don’t worry about it.”_

_Tinder narrowed her eyes. The truck wasn’t telling her something. Before she could press the issue, an explosion rocked Thunderclash’s left side. The blast stalled his engine and nearly rolled him over. Tinder and Sunny were thrown around inside his cab. Peri curled up even tighter and buried his face in his frizzed-out tail._

_“Ruffle my whiskers! Are you okay?” Tinder scanned his dashboard for signs of damage._

_“I’m gonna be feeling that later,” Thunderclash groaned, trying to turn his engine over. It sluggishly fired on the third try. “I can’t take too many of those heavy artillery blows.”_

_“No problem, Truckles! I got your back!” Tinder knocked on his roof, tufted tail whipping around. “Open up.”_

_Thunderclash complied and slid his roof panel open. “What are you doing?”_

_“Just drive exactly where I tell you.” Tinder flattened her massive ears against back against her head and peeked out to watch for the sign of incoming missiles. The powder flash and vapor trail marked another barrage. “Bank hard to the right, NOW!”_

_“I can’t-”_

_“JUST DO IT!”_

_Thunderclash cut his wheels to the right all the way to lock without decreasing speed. His tires skidded over the loose gravel and he swung wide just as another missile slammed into the ground beside him. If he hadn’t dodged just when Tinder told him it would have been a direct hit._

_“Thanks!”_

_“Don’t mention it! Once we get around that weird rock tower, we’ll be home free. Sunny, make sure Peri is still alive.”_

_Sunny poked around under the seat. “Leave me alone! I’m fine,” Peri grumbled._

_After the last blast, all gunfire stopped._

_“It’s too quiet.” Tinder narrowed her eyes, scanning the canyon walls for any movement. “They’re up to something. Good thing we’re close. Turn into that twisty slot canyon there.”_

_Thunderclash followed her directions but his engine sputtered to a stop mid turn. “Oh, rust me!” He muttered. “I apologize for the profanity but it looks like this is the end of line. Everybody out.”_

_“What’s wrong?” Tinder ushered her crew out of the cab. “Are you out of fuel? Here, eat this!” She produced a brilliant pink crystal of raw energon from her small pack._

_“That’s very kind of you, but it needs to be refined into a liquid before I can use it.” Thunderclash chuckled as he transformed. He slowly stood up, wincing as his damaged armor panels grated into place._

_“Well, I’ll be jitterbugged! And I thought you looked good as a truck!” Tinder stared up at him with a broad grin. Even timid Peri whistled in appreciation “If you don’t have enough fuel to drive, I guess we can all walk together. Peri, help Sunny and go on ahead. There’s plenty of room for you in our cargo hold. You’re good company. Why don’t you join our team?”_

_“I’m sorry.” Thunderclash shook his head. “I can’t go with you. It’s worse than being low on fuel. I have a terminal injury and I should’ve been back at my own ship for medical treatment an hour ago.”_

_Tinder’s whiskers drooped. “What are you trying to say? That you’re gonna die? For helping us?”_

_“It’s not your fault. It was my choice.” Thunderclash shrugged. “And I would make the same choice any given day. I’ve only got about 10-15 minutes left before my systems start to shut down and I’d like to spend that time guarding the way to your ship. You’re right about it being too quiet.”_

_“I’m not going to leave you our here alone, especially if you’re hurt. I fix stuff on my ship all the time. If you just tell me what’s wrong, I could-”_

_“I appreciate your concern, really, but even my doctors don’t know how to repair me. I didn’t choose to have this condition, but I can choose how to spend my time. Now go!”_

_"I am not giving up on you!” Tinder’s ears swiveled towards a rustling movement in the nearby shrubs. The fur along her spine rose in an indigo ruff. “You said you have 10 minutes left. All I need is five. Can you last that long?”_

_Thunderclash nodded. With a fanged grin, Tinder spun on her heels and raced to her ship._  
_____________________________________________________________________ 

“So, you told Tinder to go on without you too.” Rodimus elbowed Thunderclash. “I’m sensing a pattern.” 

“You gotta watch out for this one.” Tinder tipped her head towards Thunderclash. “I honestly don’t know how he survived for so long.” 

“I don’t know either. I think he completely lacks any sense of self-preservation. He must just be lucky.” 

“Damn straight! He’s got the two of us, and if that ain’t good luck then I don’t know what is. I mean, he sure as hell can’t take care of himself.” 

“I’m sitting right here.” Thunderclash folded his arms. Rodimus and Tinder glanced each with a smile and burst into laughter. “If you two can’t be serious, then I’ll tell the next part.”  
___________________________________________________________________  
_  
No sooner had Tinder’s blue tail disappeared around the first bend in the canyon, a burst of gunfire erupted from the nearest patch of cover. Thunderclash planted himself at the entrance to the canyon, shielding his face with his forearms. The bullets pinged of his armor and fell harmlessly to the sand. He ground his teeth. Determined to guard Tinder’s escape, he tried to arm his shoulder cannons, but he didn’t have enough power. Not for the first time, he cursed his crippling injury, more upset that it was preventing him from properly protecting his friends than by the fact that it was actively killing him._

_Just as quickly as the barrage began, it stopped and a tense silence descended on the canyon. Thunderclash lowered his arms and tentatively scanned the surrounding area. He took a cautious step forward, straining to listen for sounds of movement through the growing static filling his audials. His thoughts started to wander towards his one regret, that he never had the opportunity to spend time with Rodimus of Nyon. He smiled, fondly recalling the few times that he actually crossed paths with the fiery warrior. Maybe they would finally meet in the afterspark. Rodimus was just so-_  
___________________________________________________________________ 

“Shut UP!” Rodimus playfully pushed Thunderclash and blushed. “That is NOT what you were thinking about!” 

“It’s true!” Thunderclash insisted, rubbing his shoulder, looking a little hurt. “I swear with my hand on the Matrix!” 

“I believe it!” Whirl chimed in, prompting a chorus of giggles from the audience. 

“How about you spare us the details of your daydream?” Tinder sighed. “Besides, I’ve heard it all a million times.” 

“Fiiiine!” Thunderclash groaned.  
____________________________________________________________________  
_  
A heavy blow to the back of his head, knocked Thunderclash out of his daydream. An impact that he normally could have shrugged off dropped him to his knees as the rpms of his engine continued their slow decline. He couldn’t react fast enough. The gradual shut down of his systems made it feel like he was swimming through tar. Someone roughly grabbed his wrists and pinned his arms behind his back while another pressed down on his shoulders to prevent him from rising._

_“Unhand me!” he growled, struggling weakly against their grasp. “A cargo full of shiny rocks is hardly worth such violence.” Thunderclash started when he looked over his shoulder to see his assailants. Two huge organics with numerous eyes had their six arms wrapped around him, slathering tongues lolling out of gaping jaws lined with razor teeth. Despite the circumstances, Thunderclash had to laugh. One look at these creatures would probably kill Paddox._

_“Is that what you think this is about?” A third creature strode towards him. This one had similar features but was smaller than the other two. “I can take whatever minerals I want, from countless worlds. I wanted the blue Leonine. I had hoped for a strong feline form but you are an excellent consolation prize.”_

_“Are you sure about this, boss?” one of the brutes asked. “Vekktral tried to possess a Cybertronian and it went real bad. The High Sorcerer said-”_

_“Vekktral was a fool and the High Sorcerer is a coward!” The smaller creature snarled, revealing rows of needle-like fangs. “I have stronger willpower than the both of them put together. I’ve studied all-”_

_“Excuse me,” Thunderclash interrupted, “but, could please you call off your goons and let me up? This is rather uncomfortable.”_

_“Silence!” the creature struck Thunderclash across the face. “No one disrespects a dire wraith sorcerer!”_

_Thunderclash shook his head as the taste of his own energon filled his mouth. The little guy packed a big punch, but if he keeps these ruffians occupied, Tinder should have plenty of time to escape. Turning his head to spit the energon at the sorcerer’s feet, he looked up with a defiant grin. “There’s a first time for everything.”_

_“Enough! I’m going to wear you like a suit, chasing down and destroying every shred of your consciousness until nothing of you remains in your own body. When I’m finished, all your strength and power, everything that makes you unique, will be mine.” The wraith sorcerer growled. “I’m told the process is deliciously excruciating.” The creature flexed four talon-like claws. “Let’s make sure everything is in order before we begin.”_

_In a lightning fast movement, the wraith plunged those claws into the seams around Thunderclash’s chest armor and wrenched open his spark chamber. The sudden violence of the attack sent a shudder through his whole body. Too shocked to cry out, he gasped as the wraith tapped his spark casing with its claws._

_“No. No. NO!” The creature’s grin of smug triumph twisted into rage in the flickering light of Thunderclash’s shrinking spark. “You are damaged! Broken! Worthless!” He shrieked, punctuating each insult with another claw strike on Thunderclash’s spark, the pain causing Thunderclash to jerk against his restraints. “All this size and strength, and for what? For nothing. Useless. If I tried to possess you, we’d both die. Now, only one of us will die. I suppose there’s still time to hunt the Leonines.”_

_“No! Please-” Thunderclash pleaded in a small voice barely audible through the static that garbled his vocal processor._

_Completely dismissing Thunderclash as utterly beneath his attention, the sorcerer turned to his warriors, “Tear him apart, he’s not even worth the parts holding him together.”_  
____________________________________________________________ 

“HE JUST RIPPED OPEN YOUR SPARK CHAMBER!” Tailgate screamed, clinging to Cyclonus’ forearm. “That’s the worst thing I ever heard!” 

“Yeah.” Whirl bobbed his head. “If he wanted to get all handsy with your spark he could have at least bought you dinner first.” 

Rodimus noticed a slight tremor race through Thunderclash’s armor and shot Whirl a withering glare. 

“No.” Thunderclash stared into the fire and shrugged. “That wasn’t the worst thing. The worst thing was, at the moment, I completely agreed with him.” 

Rodimus felt something fiercely protective flare in his spark. He took Thunderclash’s hand in his and squeezed. Thunderclash twitched, shocked out of his memories by the sudden contact. He gripped Rodimus’ hand like he was just thrown a life line. 

“All I wanted was the strength to protect my friends, but my condition made that impossible. I couldn’t even defend myself let alone help someone else. Fully healthy, I could have thumped an army of those ruffians, but not in that condition. I was damaged. Broken...” He trailed off before he added ‘worthless.’ 

“Take it easy, big bot.” Tinder curled around and pressed her furry forehead against Thunderclash’s helm. “What makes you great isn’t that you’re bulletproof or that you’re taller than a ten-foot tadpole with looks that could kill, but the fact that you came to help me and my friends despite knowing it put you at risk. It’s like you told me that day, it’s a choice. And your choices define you, not your body and sure as hell not some idiot’s opinion.” 

Even though his encounter with the dire wraith happened years ago, Rodimus recognized an old hurt that never properly healed, especially when he bore so many similar scars himself. Thunderclash was so honest and sincere, Rodimus wondered why he never heard a story like this before. He would cheerily answer any question you asked him, completely free of guile or sarcasm. Hell, he showed his spark injury to anyone who wanted to see it. Something he said up on the mountain echoed in Rodimus’ thoughts, ‘I don’t want to trouble anyone.’ If no one ever asked, Thunderclash probably just kept all this to himself. Rodimus squeezed his hand and made a mental note to talk to him about his injury later.  
________________________________________________________________  
_  
A fearsome roar echoed through the canyon followed by the steady hum of massive engines. A stout spacecraft slowly rose above the rocky outcropping. Perched directly on the bow of the ship, wind whipping through her deep indigo fur, stood Tinder. She puffed out her chest and roared again, baring a mouth full of fangs and ending in a fierce growl. While the incredible clamor resounded off the steep cliffs, two plasma cannons rose out of the ship on either ship of her. Tinder stood tall between the impressive array of weaponry, snarling down at the dire wraiths below._

_“You have til the count of three to release my friend and go on your merry way. After that, you can ask your gods for mercy because you won’t get none from me.” The fur along her spine rose and a cold light shone in her silver eyes. A soft violet glow began to gather in the barrels of the guns as the ship prepared to fire._

_“You would come to challenge me!?” The wraith sorcerer screamed. “Over this flawed pile of scrap metal?”_

_“One.” She began to count, keeping eyes locked on the wraith and her tone terrifyingly even._

_“I can’t imagine why you would get so sentimental over that,” The wraith sneered and waved dismissively towards Thunderclash, still help down by the two large warriors._

_“Tinder, please.” Thunderclash struggled. “Just go!”_

_“Two.”_

_“At least you saved me the trouble of hunting you down.” He fixed all six eyes on Tinder as he casually set his claws on Thunderclash’s spark casing and began to squeeze. Thunderclash gasped as his body involuntarily arched back._

_“Three.”_

_Tinder bunched all of her muscles and launched herself off the nose of her ship with a horrifying howl. It happened so fast, time seemed to slow down. She flew through the air, drawing her lips back to reveal sharp saber-like fangs and unsheathed her massive claws. All of the wraith’s eyes widened as she dove towards him. He only managed to raise one claw to defend himself, slashing at her face when she crashed into him. Her jaws quickly encircled his neck and she clamped down with the all the strength of her righteous fury._  
_____________________________________________________________ 

“WHOA!” Whirl exclaimed. “Are you telling me that you bit the head off a dire wraith?!” 

Tinder lazily stretched from her perch on Thunderclash’s shoulder, flexing the talons out of her paws. She opened her mouth in a wide exaggerated yawn, running her tongue across the tips of her saber fangs. “Clean off! In one bite!” She clacked her jaws, drawing back her lips into a ferocious snarl. “His head thumped to the ground and just sort of rolled away in the dust.” 

“So extreme! I thought their blood was toxic.” 

“Really?” Tinder nonchalantly inspected her claws. “It didn’t bother me none.” 

Still clinging to Rodimus’ hand, Thunderclash watched her display and smiled, “You were amazing.” 

Tinder flashed a toothy grin, her silver eye sparkling like the gemstones decorating her extravagant eye patch, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”  
_______________________________________________________________  
_  
Straddling the decapitated body of the dire wraith sorcerer, Tinder glared over her shoulder at the two hulking wraiths silently pinning Thunderclash to the ground. Bright green blood still dripping from her fangs, she narrowed her uninjured eye and snarled one word that was equal parts threat and command. “Run!”_

_The two dropped Thunderclash face down in the dirt and took off as fast as their legs could carry them. Slamming her paw on to the chest of her fallen foe, she roared again._

_“I am Tinder of Leonidas! If you ever so much as look at one of my friends again, there will be no where you can hide from my wrath! I will come for you and hell’s coming with me!” She signaled her ship with a flick of her tail and the cannons fired a barrage of warning shots above the retreating wraith soldiers._

_She turned to Thunderclash, all of her savagery melting into tenderness. “Oh, Truckles,” she sighed. “What did they do to you?”_

_“You came back,” Thunderclash winced as he rolled on to his side, legs refusing to cooperate._

_“Of course I did.” Tinder licked her chops and spit several times. “Slosh me sideways! Those things taste terrible! Glad I didn’t have to deal with the other two.”_

_“But your eye...” Thunderclash reached up to weakly caress her face, blood matting her fur. She nestled next to his side and laid her head on his shoulder._

_“At least I’ll get a boss eyepatch. I think I’ll decorate with some chips of that energon crystal that I’ve been carrying around. It’s gonna be fierce! And don’t you go thinkin’ it’s somehow your fault. When it comes to helping a friend, I’d make that choice any day of the week and twice on Sunday.”_

_“Thank you. It’s selfish of me to ask, but-” Thunderclash rasped. “Could you stay with me a few minutes more. I’d rather die among friends.”_

_“About that, I’ve got a surprise for you.”_

_The distinct rumble of the Vis Vitale shook the canyon walls as the massive ship raced towards them. Even through pain and static, Thunderclash would recognize his home anywhere._

_“How?”_

_“I had my communications officer call out on every channel, asking if anyone lost a beautiful truck who was too helpful for his own good. Your crew was very worried, especially one called Paddox. We’ll get you fixed up in no time.”_  
_____________________________________________________________ 

“And the rest, as they say, is history.” Tinder nuzzled Thunderclash’s helm. “We’ve been thick as thieves ever since.” 

Thunderclash laughed. “And in all the years I’ve wandered the stars, I’ve never ever crossed paths with another dire wraith.” 

“And you never will.” Tinder’s tail curled protectively around Thunderclash’s neck. “If they know what’s good for ‘em” 

“Too many of your stories end with you in the hospital,” Velocity shook her head and clicked off her welding torch. When she and Nautica returned in the middle of the story, she got to work patching Thunderclash’s leg. “These welds will hold long enough to get back to the Rod Pod, but the damage is worse than I thought. I need you to report to the medibay for a proper hydraulic replacement and realignment.” 

Rodimus gave Thunderclash’s hand another firm squeeze before hopping to his feet. “Alright team! As much as I hate to break this up, I don’t Megs getting too comfortable in the captain’s chair. Everyone exchange comm frequencies with your new friends and report to the Rod Pod!” 

Thunderclash wrapped Tinder up in a warm hug and she purred with delight. The two shared a quiet moment, two old friends just enjoying each other’s company. 

Whirl finally released Trip, ruffling her jade fur one more time, as he bounced towards Rodimus. “These cats are hardcore! Tinder crunched the head off a dire wraith. Trip, short for Tripod by the way, lost her paw in an ordinance accident. Instead of quitting, she devoted herself to making even more powerful explosives. Sterling once fought off a crew of rock giants by herself. Don’t even get me started on what Ruby and Puffin have been up to! Why don’t you have friends this cool?” 

“He does too!” Ember hopped in front of Rodimus and growled. “Thunderclash is his friend and so am I.” 

“Take it easy, kid!” Whirl snickered. “I’m just teasing! You’re right. I think Rodimus made some very GOOD friends today.” 

Whirl glanced over his shoulder. Rodimus followed his line of sight to see Thunderclash, giggling as he tried to hug all the Leonines at once. They bowled him over like a fuzzy rainbow avalanche. Rodimus smiled. Stupid Thunderclash. Stupid sweet adorable Thunderclash. He sighed, turning back to find Whirl staring at him, single optic arched in amusement. The gold light flashed off and on again. 

“Did you just wink at me?” Rodimus laughed. 

“Let’s keep it ambiguous.” Whirl transformed and flew off towards the Rod Pod. 

Members of the away team said their goodbyes and slowly began filtering their way down the trail back to the Rod Pod. 

“Well, it’s been real, Ember.” Rodimus reached down to ruffle his thick red orange fur. 

“Thanks,” Ember purred. “But that’s not my name, not anymore.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. It never really fit, so I changed it. Today I finally found a name that feels like me. Something strong and brave. The name of a real hero!” He sat up straight and puffed out his chest. 

“Is that so.” One corner of Rodimus’ mouth quirked up in a slight smile. This morning such a revelation would have hacked him off and made him omega jealous. What difference a few hours make. Looking over to where Thunderclash was awkwardly trying to stand up with Tinder’s dedicated assistance, he felt something closer to pride, but still maybe just a hint of jealousy. “Congratulations! Thunderclash is a very good name.” 

“I guess it is.” The fiery Leonine cocked his head to one side. “But not for me. From now on call me Rrrrodimus!” He rolled his r’s for emphasis. “But I think I’ll go by Rodi for short.” 

Rodimus’ spoiler twitched. He stared at the strange alien proudly beaming at him. At first, he flinched with a quick stab of fear that he was being made fun of, but found only sincerity and adoration in those glittering golden eyes. 

“Primus, kid...” Rodimus trailed off rubbing the back of his helm. Sparks appeared on the leading edge of his spoiler, growing into tiny flames. “That’s an honor that I’m not sure that I deserve.” 

“It ain’t about deserving it.” Rodi shrugged. “It’s about trying your best and never giving up. That’s how you are, and me too! Thunderclash even said that we’re alike!” 

“Little Rodimus!” Thunderclash called as he limped towards them. “Sterling just told me the news! You couldn’t have selected a better name. How about a hug before we go?” 

“Aw yeah!” Rodi purred, launched himself at Thunderclash. Wobbling a little when he caught him, Thunderclash wrapped him up in a warm hug. Rodimus studied the big bot. Judging from his awkward gait, the patchy field repairs must hurt. Despite the obvious pain, Thunderclash smiled, all sweetness and light, holding Rodi like he was the most important person in the universe. Rodimus shook his head. No wonder everyone loved him. 

“Hey.” Rodimus threw one arm around Rodi and hooked the other around Thunderclash’s waist. “How about we make this a group hug?” 

“Really? Awesome!” Rodi chirped, reaching a paw to gather Rodimus in. Thunderclash, on the other hand, froze like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to run away or melt on the spot. He shifted Rodi to one arm and tentatively placed his other hand around Rodimus’ back. Rodimus quickly pulled them both tight, careful to keep his flames under control. Thunderclash’s engine stumbled but resumed its steadfast rhythm as Rodimus nestled close to his side and Rodi purred. 

Thunderclash’s trademark lopsided grin spread across his face. “I really am lucky!” 

“You sure are!” Rodimus laughed and squeezed them both even tighter. “You said you always hoped to have time to get to know one Rodimus, and today you’ve got two!”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading!!
> 
> I appreciate your kudos and love reading your comments! They always make my day!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at: lush-specimen.tumblr.com/


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